"Now, Eliza? Is that Eliza Brating, or am I getting mixed up?"
"Yes, it's Eliza Brating."
"Ah!"
"You needn't be so stuffy, dad, because her father's only a second-division clerk at the Treasury."
"Oh, I'm not. It was only this morning that I was saying to Mr. Hunter that we must always remember that second-division clerks are also God's creatures."
"Father, you're disgusting."
"Don't say that, my child. At my age one needs encouragement, not abuse. And I'm glad to be able to tell you that there is no longer any necessity either for you to earn money or to pinch and scrape. Satisfactory arrangements have been made...."
"Really? Well, that's splendid. But of course it won't make any difference to me. There may be no necessity so far as you're concerned. But there's my inward necessity. I've got to be independent. It wouldn't make any difference if you had an income of ten thousand a year."
Mr. Prohack blenched guiltily.
"Er—er—what was I going to say? Oh, yes,—where's this Eliza of yours got her hundred pounds from?"